DOCSLIB.ORG

Garrulus Glandarius) Prefer Oaks and Acorns in Central Europe

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Garrulus Glandarius) Prefer Oaks and Acorns in Central Europe Ornis Hungarica 2020. 28(1): 169–175. DOI: 10.2478/orhu-2020-0010 Foraging Eurasian Jays (Garrulus glandarius) prefer oaks and acorns in central Europe Cezary MITRUS1,* & Josif SZABO2 Received: December 14, 2019 – Revised: February 17, 2020 – Accepted: February 18, 2020 Mitrus, C. & Szabo, J. 2020. Foraging Eurasian Jays (Garrulus glandarius) prefer oaks and acorns in central Europe. – Ornis Hungarica 28(2): 169–175. DOI: 10.2478/orhu-2020-0010 Abstract The Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius) is considered as the most important factor in the dispersal and spread of oak species. We conducted studies in oak stands in four coun- tries (Poland, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine) in the autumn of 2015 and 2016. To identify the preferences of Jays for both acorns and trees, we compared the size of acorns and tree characteristics between each selected tree and the closest unused oak. We found that acorns from selected oaks were smaller (narrower) than those from unused trees. We found no differences in the characteristics of selected and unused oaks. These results indicate that the size of acorns can be an important indicator determining the choices of foraging birds. The Jays’ preferences for specific trees may influence the composition of oak populations. Trees with certain phenotypic and genomic char- acteristics may be favoured and dominate in the ecosystem. Keywords: dispersion, trees, birds, preferences, coevolution Összefoglalás A szajkó (Garrulus glandarius) a legfontosabb faktornak tekinthető a tölgyfajok terjedésében. Vizs- gálatainkat négy ország (Lengyelország, Magyarország, Románia, Ukrajna) tölgyeseiben végeztük 2015 és 2016 őszén. A szajkók tölgyfa és makk preferenciáinak vizsgálatához összehasonlítottuk a szajkók által választott fák és azok makkjainak jellemzőit a legközelebbi, nem választott tölgyfával és annak makkjaival. A madarak által válasz- tott makkok kisebbek (keskenyebbek) voltak a nem választott fák makkjaihoz képest. Más vizsgált jellemzőben nem találtunk különbséget a választott és nem választott tölgyfák között. Az eredmények rámutatnak arra, hogy a makkok mérete fontos indikátor lehet a madarak táplálékválasztásában. A szajkók preferenciái kihathatnak a tölgyállomá- nyok összetételére. Bizonyos feno-, illetve genotípusú fák kedveltebbek lehetnek, így uralhatják az ökoszisztémát. Kulcsszavak: diszperzió, fák, madarak, preferenciák, koevolúció 1 Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Paleontology, Institute of Biology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Chełmońskiego 38c, 51-631 Wrocław, Poland 2 Str.Croitorilor 2/49, Odorheiu Secuiesc/Harghita 535600, România * corresponding author Introduction Animals are required for dispersing the seeds of many plant species in both the tropics and in temperate zones (Howe & Smallwood 1982, Jordano 2000). Based on the way in which seeds are transported, three categories of zoochory are usually distinguished: endozoocho- ry – seeds are ingested by an animal and later regurgitated or defecated, epizoochory – seeds are accidentally attached to the outside of an animal body, for example, in the fur, and synzoochory – animals actively transport seeds and deposit them elsewhere (Jordano 2000, Hulme 2002, Will & Tackenberg 2008, Vander Wall & Beck 2012). In particular, birds play an important role in plant dispersion over long distance and this is a good example of 170 ORNIS HUNGARICA 2020. 28(1) synzoochory. In many cases, a very close association between animals and plants can be considered as coevolution (Pons & Pausas 2007). Mutualism, being advantageous both for birds and plants, is also observed (Pesendorfer et al. 2016). Thus, such a coexistence gives the opportunity to study relationships between birds and plants. The Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius) is considered the most important factor in the dispersal and spread of oak Quer­ cus species (Bossema 1979, Clayton et al. 1996, Perea et al. 2011, Kurek et al. 2018). Long distance dispersal of acorns is possible due to the ability of Jays to collect, carry and cache seeds in the ground (Bossema 1979, Mosandl & Kleinert 1998, Pons & Pausas 2007, Kurek & Dobrowolska 2016). Birds are selective and choose acorns for hoarding by visual means, mainly according to the colour and size (Bossema 1979, Pons & Pausas 2007, Richardson et al. 2013, Bieberich 2016). However, few studies addressed the selection of acorns by Jays (Bossema 1979, Pons & Pausas 2007, Myczko et al. 2014, Bieberich 2016) and knowledge on the characteristics of trees selected for foraging is lacking. The aim of this study was to determine the foraging preferences of Jays in relation to the characteristics of oaks and acorns in central Europe. We tested the following hypotheses: Jays collect acorns from specific trees, oaks and acorns selected by birds differ from unused trees, location (country) does not influence the characteristics of trees and acorns. Materials and methods Study area Observations were made in four countries (Poland, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine) in oak stands on lower (250–450 m above sea level) parts of the Carpathian region. In Poland, the studies were conducted in the oak forest near Kalwaria Pacławska (49°38’44.5”N, 22°41’48.5”E) – 30 ha, in Hungary in the Bükk National Park in the vicinity of Cserépfa- lu (E 47°58’00.0”N, 20°33’47.6”E) – 20 ha, in Ukraine close to Ivanivka (48°53’18.0”N 24°06’03.1”E) – 30 ha and in Romania near Homoródújfalu (46°07’50.8”N 25°24’56.1”E) – 20 ha. In the cases of Romania and Hungary, the oak stands were within pasture with the trees usually (only oaks) growing at low density. Herds of cattle and sheep grazed beneath the trees. In the case of Hungary, turkey oaks (Quercus cerris) dominated in the stands with only single individuals of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur), also present. In Poland and Ukraine, trees in abandoned (20–30 years ago) wood-pastures had expand- ed to produce mixed forest, where beside stands of pedunculate oak, there were also stands of other trees: hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), beech (Fagus sylvatica), sycamore (Acer pseu­ doplatanus), small-leaved lime (Tilia cordata), norway spruce (Picea abies), European sil- ver (Abies alba) and in the lower layers, common hazel (Corylus avellana). Field data collection The observations were carried out in two autumn seasons (2015 in Poland and Ukraine, 2016 in Hungary and Romania) in October and November. The total observation time C. Mitrus & J. Szabo 171 amounts 42 days (20 days in 2015 and 22 days in 2016). Trees used by birds were locat- ed in oak stands or pastures with solitary trees by observations of flying Jays. Only oaks where foraging Jays were observed at least twice were used in the analysis. The follow- ing information was then collected: characteristics of the selected tree (species, trunk cir- cumference at height of 1.5 m, height of tree, radius of crown) and habitat characteristics (inside forest or in open area in the case of solitary oaks). The same characteristics were recorded for the nearest oak with acorns but not used by Jays. In the case of open areas, only unused oaks within 20 m were included in analysis. Additionally, the characteris- tics of fallen acorns under oaks were described. From the ground under each used and the closest unused oak, 50 randomly selected (without signs of infestation by insects) acorns were collected. After drying in the laboratory, they were measured using sliding callipers by one person (CM) recording length and width (in mm). Statistical analyses For comparisons of two groups of data the Mann–Whitney U test was used. To determine factors affecting the Jay’s choice, Generalized Linear Model (GLM) with binominal dis- tribution and logit function were constructed where: biometric traits of acorns and country (place of observation) were used as independent factors. Because of the number of data, this model was used only in the case of pedunculate oaks. All statistical analyses were undertak- en using Statistica for Windows v.13.3. Results Jays used two species of oaks: Quercus robur in the studies in Poland, Ukraine and Ro- mania, and Q. cerris in the case of study in Hungary. In total, 421 visits of Jays were ob- served. We characterised 25 (5 from Ukraine, 6 from Poland, 6 from Romania and 8 from Hungary) used and 12 unused oaks (3 from Ukraine, 2 from Poland, 3 from Romania and 4 from Hungary). We did not find differences in the parameters (height, size of crown and diameter of trunk) of selected and unused trees (Table 1). The oaks which were used by foraging Jays in open areas were significantly shorter in height and had bigger crowns Table 1. Characteristics of oaks selected and unused by Jays 1. táblázat A szajkók által használt és nem használt tölgyek jellemzői Selected Unused NN Mean Min-Max Sd N Mean Min-Max Sd U test, p -0.69, Height (m) 25 22.7 14–30 4.81 12 24.2 19–31 4.38 p=0.49 -0.42, Crown (m) 25 7.8 4.7–12.4 2.30 12 7.8 6.0–11.1 1.32 p=0,67 0.08, Circumference (cm) 25 217.2 129–430 83.10 12 216.4 119–345 82.79 p=0.93 172 ORNIS HUNGARICA 2020. 28(1) than those growing in the forest (Table 2). Place (country) of observation and size (width but not length) influenced the selection of Jays in the case of Q. robur (Table 3, 4). The size of acorns also depended on oak species. Acorns of Q. cerris were significantly longer and wider than those from Q. robur (Table 5). Table 2. Comparison of oaks growing in two different habitats 2. táblázat A tölgyfák jellemzőinek összehasonlítása nyílt és zárt állományban Open area Forest N Mean Min-Max Sd N Mean Min-Max Sd U test, p 2.80, Height (m) 25 18.8 14.0–30.0 5.26 12 24.5 19.0–31.0 3.64 p<0.01 -1.95, Crown (m) 25 8.8 4.7–12.0 2.12 12 7.4 5.1–12.4 1.88 p<0.05 -0.79, Circumference (cm) 25 224.3 120–430 82.52 12 18.75 119–330 83.00 p=0.43 Table 3.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 5.4. Changes in the Bird Communities of Sierra Nevada Zamora ,R.1 and Barea-Azcón, J.M.2 1 Andalusian Institute for Earth System Research
    5.4. Changes in the bird communities of Sierra Nevada Zamora ,R.1 and Barea-Azcón, J.M.2 1 Andalusian Institute for Earth System Research. University of Granada 2 Environment and Water Agency of Andalusia Abstract The changes in the composition and abundance of passerine communities were studied along an elevational gradient, comparing the results found by censuses made in three different habitats (oak forest, high-mountain juniper scrublands, and high-mountain summits) at the beginning of the 1980s and at present. The results indicate that in the last 30 years, notable changes have taken place in the composition and, especially, in the abundance of the passerine communities. Significant declines in populations were appreciated in many of the species that were dominant in the 1980s, particularly in oak forests and in high-mountain juniper scrublands. The magnitude of the changes diminishes with elevation, and therefore the ecosystem that has changed the most was the oak woodland and those that changed the least were the ecosystems of the high-summits. The bird communities in Sierra Nevada showed a strong spatio-temporal dynamic that appears to be accentuated by global change. Aims and methodology The censuses of reproductive birds compiled censuses were made along linear transects with [13 - 17]. The current censuses were undertaken at the beginning of the 1980s and at present a fixed bandwidth of 50 m, 25 m on each side of within the framework of the Sierra Nevada (2008-2012) were compared. The sites studied the observer. The sampling effort was similar in Global Change Observatory from 2008 to 2012, were the same in both periods: an oak forest both periods.
    [Show full text]
  • Individual Repeatability, Species Differences, and The
    Supplementary Materials: Individual repeatability, species differences, and the influence of socio-ecological factors on neophobia in 10 corvid species SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS 2 Figure S1 . Latency to touch familiar food in each round, across all conditions and species. Round 3 differs from round 1 and 2, while round 1 and 2 do not differ from each other. Points represent individuals, lines represent median. SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS 3 Figure S2 . Site effect on latency to touch familiar food in azure-winged magpie, carrion crow and pinyon jay. SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS 4 Table S1 Pairwise comparisons of latency data between species Estimate Standard error z p-value Blue jay - Azure-winged magpie 0.491 0.209 2.351 0.019 Carrion crow - Azure-winged magpie -0.496 0.177 -2.811 0.005 Clark’s nutcracker - Azure-winged magpie 0.518 0.203 2.558 0.011 Common raven - Azure-winged magpie -0.437 0.183 -2.392 0.017 Eurasian jay - Azure-winged magpie 0.284 0.166 1.710 0.087 ’Alal¯a- Azure-winged magpie 0.416 0.144 2.891 0.004 Large-billed crow - Azure-winged magpie 0.668 0.189 3.540 0.000 New Caledonian crow - Azure-winged magpie -0.316 0.209 -1.513 0.130 Pinyon jay - Azure-winged magpie 0.118 0.170 0.693 0.488 Carrion crow - Blue jay -0.988 0.199 -4.959 0.000 Clark’s nutcracker - Blue jay 0.027 0.223 0.122 0.903 Common raven - Blue jay -0.929 0.205 -4.537 0.000 Eurasian jay - Blue jay -0.207 0.190 -1.091 0.275 ’Alal¯a- Blue jay -0.076 0.171 -0.443 0.658 Large-billed crow - Blue jay 0.177 0.210 0.843 0.399 New Caledonian crow - Blue jay -0.808 0.228 -3.536
    [Show full text]
  • Zoologische Verhandelingen
    Systematic notes on Asian birds. 45. Types of the Corvidae E.C. Dickinson, R.W.R.J. Dekker, S. Eck & S. Somadikarta With contributions by M. Kalyakin, V. Loskot, H. Morioka, C. Violani, C. Voisin & J-F. Voisin Dickinson, E.C., R.W.R.J. Dekker, S. Eck & S. Somadikarta. Systematic notes on Asian birds. 45. Types of the Corvidae. Zool. Verh. Leiden 350, 26.xi.2004: 111-148.— ISSN 0024-1652/ISBN 90-73239-95-8. Edward C. Dickinson, c/o The Trust for Oriental Ornithology, Flat 3, Bolsover Court, 19 Bolsover Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN20 7JG, U.K. (e-mail: [email protected]). René W.R.J. Dekker, National Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands (e-mail: [email protected]). Siegfried Eck, Staatliche Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden, Museum für Tierkunde, A.B. Meyer Bau, Königsbrücker Landstrasse 159, D-01109 Dresden, Germany (e-mail: [email protected]. sachsen.de). Soekarja Somadikarta, Dept. of Biology, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, University of Indonesia, Depok Campus, Depok 16424, Indonesia (e-mail: [email protected]). Mikhail V. Kalyakin, Zoological Museum, Moscow State University, Bol’shaya Nikitskaya Str. 6, Moscow, 103009, Russia (e-mail: [email protected]). Vladimir M. Loskot, Department of Ornithology, Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Science, St. Petersburg, 199034 Russia (e-mail: [email protected]). Hiroyuki Morioka, Curator Emeritus, National Science Museum, Hyakunin-cho 3-23-1, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 100, Japan. Carlo Violani, Department of Biology, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy (e-mail: [email protected]).
    [Show full text]
  • Habitat Use and Population Dynamics of the Azure-Winged Magpie, Cyanopica Cyanus, and Their Response to Fire in Northern Mongolia
    Lincoln University Digital Thesis Copyright Statement The digital copy of this thesis is protected by the Copyright Act 1994 (New Zealand). This thesis may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use: you will use the copy only for the purposes of research or private study you will recognise the author's right to be identified as the author of the thesis and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate you will obtain the author's permission before publishing any material from the thesis. Habitat Use and Population Dynamics of the Azure-Winged Magpie, Cyanopica cyanus, and their Response to Fire in Northern Mongolia A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of International Nature Conservation (M.I.N.C) at Lincoln University by Haojin Tan Lincoln University, New Zealand/ Georg-August University, Germany 2011 The Azure-winged Magpie Cyanopica cyanus in Khonin Nuga, Northern Mongolia. Photo by Kerry- Jayne Wilson (2010) ii Abstract of a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of International Nature Conservation Abstract Habitat Use and Population Dynamics of the Azure-winged Magpie, Cyanopica cyanus, and their Response to Fire in Northern Mongolia by Haojin Tan Fires are natural distubances in many ecosystems, but humans have altered fire regimes throughout the world. The effect of fire on organisms, particularly birds, depend on the extent and regime of the fire and the species’ ecology. The Azure-winged Magpie, Cyanopica cyanus is a cooperative breeder, and occurs in a disjunct distribution across much of Asia and in Iberia (Portugal and Spain).
    [Show full text]
  • Evolution of Corvids and Their Presence in the Neogene and the Quaternary in the Carpathian Basin
    Ornis Hungarica 2020. 28(1): 121–168. DOI: 10.2478/orhu-2020-0009 Evolution of Corvids and their Presence in the Neogene and the Quaternary in the Carpathian Basin Jenő (Eugen) KESSLER Received: September 09, 2019 – Revised: February 12, 2020 – Accepted: February 18, 2020 Kessler, J. (E.) 2020. Evolution of Corvids and their Presence in the Neogene and the Quater- nary in the Carpathian Basin. – Ornis Hungarica 28(1): 121–168. DOI: 10.2478/orhu-2020-0009 Abstract: Corvids are the largest songbirds in Europe. They are known in the avian fauna of Europe from the Miocene, the beginning of the Neogene, and are currently represented by 11 species. Due to their size, they occur more frequently among fossilized material than other types of songbirds, and thus have been examined to the largest extent. In the current article, we present their known evolution and their fossilized taxa in Europe and examine the osteology of extant species. Keywords: Corvidae, Neogene, Quaternary, Europe, Carpathian Basin, osteology Összefoglalás: A varjúfélék a legnagyobb termetű, Európában is elterjedt énekesmadarak. A kontinens madárfau- nájában a neogén elejétől, a miocénból ismertek, és jelenleg 11 fajjal vannak képviselve. Termetük következtében gyakrabban előfordulnak a fosszilis anyagban, mint a többi énekesmadár típus, és ennek következtében nagyobb mértékben is tanulmányozták őket. Jelen tanulmányban bemutatjuk az ismert európai evolúciójukat és fosszilis taxonjaikat, és foglalkozunk a recens fajok csonttanával is. Kulcsszavak: Corvidae, neogén, negyedidőszak, Európa, Kárpát-medence, csonttan Department of Paleontology, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, Hungary, e-mail: [email protected] Introduction About half of the current avian species – if not more – consists of songbirds, which are dis- tributed all around the world apart from Antarctica with a large number of specimens.
    [Show full text]
  • Niche Analysis and Conservation of Bird Species Using Urban Core Areas
    sustainability Article Niche Analysis and Conservation of Bird Species Using Urban Core Areas Vasilios Liordos 1,* , Jukka Jokimäki 2 , Marja-Liisa Kaisanlahti-Jokimäki 2, Evangelos Valsamidis 1 and Vasileios J. Kontsiotis 1 1 Department of Forest and Natural Environment Sciences, International Hellenic University, 66100 Drama, Greece; [email protected] (E.V.); [email protected] (V.J.K.) 2 Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, 96101 Rovaniemi, Finland; jukka.jokimaki@ulapland.fi (J.J.); marja-liisa.kaisanlahti@ulapland.fi (M.-L.K.-J.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Knowing the ecological requirements of bird species is essential for their successful con- servation. We studied the niche characteristics of birds in managed small-sized green spaces in the urban core areas of southern (Kavala, Greece) and northern Europe (Rovaniemi, Finland), during the breeding season, based on a set of 16 environmental variables and using Outlying Mean Index, a multivariate ordination technique. Overall, 26 bird species in Kavala and 15 in Rovaniemi were recorded in more than 5% of the green spaces and were used in detailed analyses. In both areas, bird species occupied different niches of varying marginality and breadth, indicating varying responses to urban environmental conditions. Birds showed high specialization in niche position, with 12 species in Kavala (46.2%) and six species in Rovaniemi (40.0%) having marginal niches. Niche breadth was narrower in Rovaniemi than in Kavala. Species in both communities were more strongly associated either with large green spaces located further away from the city center and having a high vegetation cover (urban adapters; e.g., Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), European Greenfinch (Chloris Citation: Liordos, V.; Jokimäki, J.; chloris Cyanistes caeruleus Kaisanlahti-Jokimäki, M.-L.; ), Eurasian Blue Tit ( )) or with green spaces located closer to the city center Valsamidis, E.; Kontsiotis, V.J.
    [Show full text]
  • Federal Register/Vol. 85, No. 74/Thursday, April 16, 2020/Notices
    21262 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 74 / Thursday, April 16, 2020 / Notices acquisition were not included in the 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA Comment (1): We received one calculation for TDC, the TDC limit would not 22041–3803; (703) 358–2376. comment from the Western Energy have exceeded amongst other items. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Alliance, which requested that we Contact: Robert E. Mulderig, Deputy include European starling (Sturnus Assistant Secretary, Office of Public Housing What is the purpose of this notice? vulgaris) and house sparrow (Passer Investments, Office of Public and Indian Housing, Department of Housing and Urban The purpose of this notice is to domesticus) on the list of bird species Development, 451 Seventh Street SW, Room provide the public an updated list of not protected by the MBTA. 4130, Washington, DC 20410, telephone (202) ‘‘all nonnative, human-introduced bird Response: The draft list of nonnative, 402–4780. species to which the Migratory Bird human-introduced species was [FR Doc. 2020–08052 Filed 4–15–20; 8:45 am]‘ Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703 et seq.) does restricted to species belonging to biological families of migratory birds BILLING CODE 4210–67–P not apply,’’ as described in the MBTRA of 2004 (Division E, Title I, Sec. 143 of covered under any of the migratory bird the Consolidated Appropriations Act, treaties with Great Britain (for Canada), Mexico, Russia, or Japan. We excluded DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 2005; Pub. L. 108–447). The MBTRA states that ‘‘[a]s necessary, the Secretary species not occurring in biological Fish and Wildlife Service may update and publish the list of families included in the treaties from species exempted from protection of the the draft list.
    [Show full text]
  • Thailand Custom Tour 29 January -13 February, 2017
    Tropical Birding Trip Report THAILAND JANUARY-FEBRUARY, 2017 Thailand custom tour 29 January -13 February, 2017 TOUR LEADER: Charley Hesse Report by Charley Hesse. Photos by Charley Hesse & Laurie Ross. All photos were taken on this tour When it comes to vacation destinations, Thailand has it all: great lodgings, delicious food, scenery, good roads, safety, value for money and friendly people. In addition to both its quantity & quality of birds, it is also one of the most rapidly evolving destinations for bird photography. There are of course perennial favourite locations that always produce quality birds, but year on year, Thailand comes up with more and more fantastic sites for bird photography. On this custom tour, we followed the tried and tested set departure itinerary and found an impressive 420 species of birds and 16 species of mammals. Some of the highlights included: Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Nordmann’s Greenshank around Pak Thale; Wreathed Hornbill, Long-tailed & Banded Broadbills inside Kaeng Krachan National Park; Rosy, Daurian & Spot-winged Starlings at a roost site just outside; Kalij Pheasant, Scaly-breasted & Bar-backed Partridges at a private photography blind nearby; Siamese Fireback and Great Hornbill plus Asian Elephant & Malayan Porcupine at Khao Yai National Park; countless water birds at Bueng Boraphet; a myriad of montane birds at Doi Inthanon; Giant Nuthatch at Doi Chiang Dao; Scarlet-faced Liocichla at Doi Ang Khang; Hume’s Pheasant & Spot-breasted Parrotbill at Doi Lang; Yellow-breasted Buntings at Baan Thaton; and Baikal Bush-Warbler & Ferruginous Duck at Chiang Saen. It was a truly unforgettable trip. www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report THAILAND JANUARY-FEBRUARY, 2017 29th January – Bangkok to Laem Pak Bia After a morning arrival in Bangkok, we left the sprawling metropolis on the overhead highways, and soon had our first birding stop at the Khok Kham area of Samut Sakhon, the neighbouring city to Bangkok.
    [Show full text]
  • Corvidae Species Tree
    Corvidae I Red-billed Chough, Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax Pyrrhocoracinae =Pyrrhocorax Alpine Chough, Pyrrhocorax graculus Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Temnurus temnurus Temnurus Black Magpie, Platysmurus leucopterus Platysmurus Racket-tailed Treepie, Crypsirina temia Crypsirina Hooded Treepie, Crypsirina cucullata Rufous Treepie, Dendrocitta vagabunda Crypsirininae ?Sumatran Treepie, Dendrocitta occipitalis ?Bornean Treepie, Dendrocitta cinerascens Gray Treepie, Dendrocitta formosae Dendrocitta ?White-bellied Treepie, Dendrocitta leucogastra Collared Treepie, Dendrocitta frontalis ?Andaman Treepie, Dendrocitta bayleii ?Common Green-Magpie, Cissa chinensis ?Indochinese Green-Magpie, Cissa hypoleuca Cissa ?Bornean Green-Magpie, Cissa jefferyi ?Javan Green-Magpie, Cissa thalassina Cissinae ?Sri Lanka Blue-Magpie, Urocissa ornata ?White-winged Magpie, Urocissa whiteheadi Urocissa Red-billed Blue-Magpie, Urocissa erythroryncha Yellow-billed Blue-Magpie, Urocissa flavirostris Taiwan Blue-Magpie, Urocissa caerulea Azure-winged Magpie, Cyanopica cyanus Cyanopica Iberian Magpie, Cyanopica cooki Siberian Jay, Perisoreus infaustus Perisoreinae Sichuan Jay, Perisoreus internigrans Perisoreus Gray Jay, Perisoreus canadensis White-throated Jay, Cyanolyca mirabilis Dwarf Jay, Cyanolyca nanus Black-throated Jay, Cyanolyca pumilo Silvery-throated Jay, Cyanolyca argentigula Cyanolyca Azure-hooded Jay, Cyanolyca cucullata Beautiful Jay, Cyanolyca pulchra Black-collared Jay, Cyanolyca armillata Turquoise Jay, Cyanolyca turcosa White-collared Jay, Cyanolyca viridicyanus
    [Show full text]
  • 14Th of November 2019
    Date: 14th of november 2019 Tour: Half day excursion Oostvaardersplassen Guide: Pim Around 8.30 I met Quentin from Vancouver (Canada) at the small trainstation of Almere Centrum. From here we drove to the nature reserve Oostvaardersplassen. Our first stop was at a viewing point. From a distance we saw a large group of Red deer, on farmland we saw a few smaller Roe deer. We saw our first White tailed eagle of the day, his nickname is “flying door”, because his wingspan is about 2.30 meters! At the moment there are about 10-12 of this large birds in the area and we saw this morning half of this population. In The Netherlands there are about 10 breeding pairs, it al started in the Oostvaardersplassen about 13 years ago. We saw many Common buzzard, Common kestrel and a male Eurasian sparrowhaw was showing well closeby. We saw a large group of Barnacle geese and Greylag geese and a mixed group of hundreds of Northern lapwings and European golden plovers. Also a adult Whooper swan was present. Eurasian sparrowhawk – Oostvaardersplassen – Lelystad. “The whooper swan is a large white swan, bigger than a Bewick's swan. It has a long thin neck, which it usually holds erect, and black legs. Its black bill has a large triangular patch of yellow on it”. Source: Rspb.org. The Whooper swans we saw in the reserve today are mainly from Russia and Finland, a pair stays together for the rest of their live On our second stop, also a viewing point, we saw a juvenile White tailed eagle and two adults in a tree.
    [Show full text]
  • Cyanocitta Cristata) in Canada, with Comments on the Genus
    Proc. Helminthol. Soc. Wash. 53(2), 1986, pp. 270-276 Pseudaprocta samueli sp. n. (Nematoda: Aproctoidea) from the Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) in Canada, with Comments on the Genus CHERYL M. BARTLETT' AND ROY C. ANDERSON Department of Zoology, College of Biological Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario NIG 2 W1, Canada ABSTRACT: Pseudaprocta samueli sp. n. is described from the thoracic air sac of 1 of 20 blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata (L.)) collected near Guelph, Ontario, Canada and this apparently represents the first report in the literature of Pseudaprocta in the New World. Specimens of Pseudaprocta, unidentifiable to species, from a blue jay in Alabama, U.S.A., had, however, been deposited in the United States National Museum in 1954. Pseudaprocta samueli belongs to that group of species within the genus that have short spicules (<500 jim) and 10-11 pairs of caudal papillae. It is distinguished by the irregular spacing of the cephalic spines and the presence of inflated cuticle in the caudal region of the female. An annotated list of and key to species in Pseudaprocta are given. The identities of many of the species reported in Eurasia require clarification. Aproctoids are oviparous nematode parasites Specimens of Pseudaprocta in the WHO Collabo- of the air sacs and orbital sinuses of birds. Their rating Centre for Filarioidea Collection at the Com- relationship to other superfamilies in the order monwealth Institute of Parasitology (CIP) in St. Al- bans, England, and in the Helminth Collection of the Spirurida is not well understood although an or- United States National Museum (USNM) in Beltsville, igin from Seuratoidea (Ascaridida) has been sug- Maryland, U.S.A., which were borrowed and examined gested (Chabaud, 1974; Bain and Mawson, 1981).
    [Show full text]
  • SE China and Tibet (Qinghai) Custom Tour: 31 May – 16 June 2013
    SE China and Tibet (Qinghai) Custom Tour: 31 May – 16 June 2013 Hard to think of a better reason to visit SE China than the immaculate cream-and-golden polka- dot spotted Cabot’s Tragopan, a gorgeous serious non-disappointment of a bird. www.tropicalbirding.com The Bar-headed Goose is a spectacular waterfowl that epitomizes the Tibetan plateau. It migrates at up to 27,000 ft over the giant Asian mountains to winter on the plains of the Indian sub-continent. Tour Leader: Keith Barnes All photos taken on this tour Introduction: SE and Central China are spectacular. Both visually stunning and spiritually rich, and it is home to many scarce, seldom-seen and spectacular looking birds. With our new base in Taiwan, little custom tour junkets like this one to some of the more seldom reached and remote parts of this vast land are becoming more popular, and this trip was planned with the following main objectives in mind: (1) see the monotypic family Pink-tailed Bunting, (2) enjoy the riches of SE China in mid-summer and see as many of the endemics of that region including its slew of incredible pheasants and the summering specialties. We achieved both of these aims, including incredible views of all the endemic phasianidae that we attempted, and we also enjoyed the stunning scenery and culture that is on offer in Qinghai’s Tibet. Other major highlights on the Tibetan plateau included stellar views of breeding Pink-tailed Bunting (of the monotypic Chinese Tibetan-endemic family Urocynchramidae), great looks at Przevalski’s and Daurian Partridges, good views of the scarce Ala Shan Redstart, breeding Black-necked Crane, and a slew of wonderful waterbirds including many great looks at the iconic Bar-headed Goose and a hoarde of www.tropicalbirding.com snowfinches.
    [Show full text]